You know you’ve had a tough day when you’re forced to eat desserts all day.

puddings- rice, tapioca, fruit, chocolate

We had the “Flourless and Frozen” class today- never has a title been simultaneously nondescript yet appropriately named. We spent the entire day making flourless and frozen desserts. Yes, life has been harder.

vegan sorbets & ice creams

fruit compotes to top our “frozens”

We had an extremely busy month, which is why I’ve been quiet. School has been flying by and I can’t believe I’m already past the midpoint. Look out for more pictures and recipes! 🙂

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A few weeks ago I assisted Personal Chef Minna Suhcater a small party for 30-40 people. It was my first official paid job in my new career. It was amazing! She was extremely knowledgeable and boosted my confidence in being able to be successful in this field. Helping her helped prepare me for last week’s Self Magazine/Pretty City’s event for 175-200 people.

Menu for Minna Suh

Duck Spring Rolls (non-veg)

Sweet Corn Mini Madelines

Mushroom Parsnip Tarts

Lemon Curd Crepe Rolls with Candied Lemon Zest

Chocolate Cherry Truffles

Self Magazine/Pretty City Event (Oct. 12)

The night before the event several CTP (Chef’s Training Program) students assisted the chefs on all the prep work. I along with my fellow CTP schoolmate poured our hearts and souls into supremeing oranges and slicing + toasting whole wheat baguettes.

The event was hosted at Marquee night club, which was a weird venue, but what made it weirder was where our booth was located. We were a bit hidden in the back of the club across from a nail polish stand. If it makes you feel any better it was “healthy” nail polish.

It was an extremely mixed crowd and we spent most of the night explaining what tempeh was and handing bite sized treats to girls trying to balance their half bitten cupcake without ruining their freshly polished nails. I’ll have to admit that I enjoyed prepping more than the event, but I’m glad I went.

I left with a swag bag and a bag full of crostinis. It was a good day. 🙂

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Every Friday night my school is transformed into a restaurant that serves a 3-course vegetarian meal at $40 per person and you’re allowed to B-as much of-YOB without a fee. As part of the final project, each person who enters the Chef’s Training Program (CTP) works with an instructor and fellow group members to develop a menu, prep and cook the food. The main group is assisted by students from other CTP classes.

This past Friday, I was among several other students who helped CTP 201 prep their meal.

Not only did they develop a beautiful menu, they transformed the classrooms with fresh flowers, candlelight and string lights, which gave guests a relaxed backyard feel indoors.

We started prepping Thursday night and finished on Friday. Even though I knew what we were serving, to be honest, I didn’t know what it would look like or how the flavors would come together. Would they even come together? I was nervous.

Later that night, I finally saw how they were plated and had my ah-hamoment when I tasted everything. It was delicious. Why did I even question it? Afterall, this was their final project. They definitely knew what they were doing.

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My sister left me with a big bag of organic almond flour, a popular replacement for gluten-free recipes, so I decided to make a cake. This was my first time using almond flour so I didn’t know what to expect. I rarely bake sweets and I’ve never made anything gluten-free, so I was excited!

I loosely followedthis recipe from comfy belly and made it my own with several substitutions.

The cake turned out really well! I was surprised how moist it was and how easy it was to make. I would definitely make it again. 🙂

About the Cake

This recipe is extremely low in carbs, which is one of the benefits of using almond flour. However, the fat content is high because of the ground almonds as a base. Naturally, almonds are high in fat, but contain good fats which may help lower cholesterol.

As far as diets are concerned, I have never tried a gluten-free diet so I don’t know what the long-term effects are.

Recommended blogs below to learn more about gluten-free diets and what to cook.

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I’m finally back in the States after spending most of my Summer in Taiwan. What I miss the most is having fresh tropical fruits on a daily basis. So now that I am back, I have been trying to incorporate more fruits in my diet. I bought two pounds of fresh brown turkey figs because they’re delicious, in season and I got them for $5!

Though I didn’t see all the veg foods from around the world like my mom advertised, it exceeded my expectations. All the foods were fresh and delicious.

It’s an amazing place! Every time I’m in Taiwan I make sure to come here at least once. It’s too good not to. There is no other place in the world that showcases and delivers this amount of variety, taste and quality that LXZ does.

If you are ever in Taiwan, it’s definitely a must!

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I will be spending most of my summer in Taiwan. The weather is awful and will only worsen as the summer progresses. It’s sunny, 90 degrees with over 50% humidity everyday. So why visit? The food is amazing.

Taiwan is the little red dot next to China

Taiwan is located about 75 miles off the coast of mainland China. Its culinary influences come mostly from various parts of China, Japan and the natives of the island (to learn more about why). Because of its location and weather, it harvests the best tropical fruits. It also is home to the Les Masters de la Boulangerie (aka world cup of baking) 2010 Master Baker champion, Wu Pao-chun.

my favorite potstickers at a local food stand

Taiwan has roughly 23 million people with about 90% of its population following Buddhism or Daoism. I grew up in a strict Daoist family, which is why I was raised vegetarian. Though most people in Taiwan are not vegetarian, there seems to be a high percentage of people who are compared to the U.S. I’ve had the best and most varied vegetarian foods in Taiwan. For foodies, including vegetarians and vegans, it’s a culinary paradise.

fresh mango shaved ice

I will be traveling to multiple Asian countries this summer, but mostly remain in Taiwan. My posts will center on the accessibility and location of vegetarian foods along with any recipes I make.